Tag Archives: RiverOak

2016-08-04Manston, NNFComments Off on Half a megatonne short of success

Aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus were in the Press over the weekend being a bit down in the mouth about future demand for their larger craft. Indeed Boeing wonders if it will have to stop building 747s next year as nobody is buying them anymore. Passenger airlines BA and Iberia both predict a gloomy future and are retreating from their previous …

In its Scoping Report to the Planning Inspectorate, RiverOak quotes a study by Oxford Economics in 2015: “Impacts on the Air Freight Industry, Customers and Associated Business Sectors”. This report was prepared for Transport for London to look at the impact on the air freight business of not increasing airport capacity. The study focuses on air cargo trade that might …

2016-07-24Manston, NNFComments Off on Slipshod, slapdash and plain unprofessional

We’re guessing that RiverOak are even harder up for cash than we thought they were. Their recent “consultation” events have been staffed by a couple of RiverOak people (sometimes only one at a time) and maybe a consultant or two and then some Save Manston Airport campaigners have been doing the rest. There are quite a number of problems with …

That’s what the future could hold for Herne Bay if American property developers RiverOak have their way. RiverOak, an American company that has never run or owned an airport (or anything else in Britain, come to that), wants the Government to let it open a cargo airport at Manston. RiverOak don’t own the site, so this would mean taking it from …

Well, what does a quick skip though the PwC report tell us? Er, well, it doesn’t tell us that RiverOak is a suitable indemnity partner. No siree! It tells us that (had they had infinite resources) TDC could have done a more structured, transparent job and spent more money on much more external advice. But it doesn’t say that they …

We’re conscious that there has been a period of silence from us recently so we’re sending out this update. Some of you will already know what follows, having attended an NNF meeting last Sunday where some of this was discussed. Apologies – it’s long and there are no jokes in it, but a lot is going on behind the scenes. …

Many residents are still blissfully unaware that Ramsgate and Herne Bay are facing an environmental catastrophe. When Manston airport was closed, an aggressive campaign group was set up to try to get it reopened. Most of the people running this campaign live in areas which are not affected by aircraft noise. The campaign group has been backed by prominent local politicians …

So, just what is going on with this PwC “independent” report about the former airport and the enthusiasts’ dream of a CPO by American “buy-to-letters”, RiverOak? Well, let’s have a little toddle through the chronology of events, shall we? It’s a long post, for which, apologies, but we think this little storm in a wind sock has been very instructive. …

Put to one side for a minute the fact that RiverOak don’t have hundreds of millions to pay out in compensation; the fact that TDC have yet to negotiate with the owners; and the fact that it is demonstrably not in the public interest to support a cargo airport with huge negative consequences for its neighbours and just 39 jobs, …

We have watched with interest the unedifying spectacle of politicians falling over themselves to be the biggest, bestest, shiniest hope for “saving” Manston. Of course, had they really given a monkey’s about the airport rather than just pre-election vote-catching, they would have had a better chance of “saving” this commercial crock had they encouraged their legions of supporters to use the …